Bottle cap



Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES' FYNT' OFFICE BGTTLE CAP Herbert H.Schweizer, Fort Collins, Colo.

Application August 8, i949, Serial No. 109,173

'i This invention relates to bottle caps for use in sealing bottles orcontainers such as are usuu ally employed for holding carbonatedbeverages, beer and the like.

The primary objects of the invention are: to provide a novel type ofbottle cap which is particularly adapted for economical mass productionby molding from suitable plastic or other materials; and, to providesuch a cap having bottle gripping elements which are resilientlyradially expandible to pass down over the usual retainer bead of thebottle neck as the cap is pressed thereon and then resiliently contracttherebeneath to maintain the cap in place, but which are frangible whensubjected to circum ferential or tangential deflection, thus permitNting ready removal of the cap without the use of a special tool oropener.

Further incidental objects are: to so locate the bottle grippingelements that they are readily accessible for tangential deflection, byhand or by pressure against any handy fixed object, and will notobstruct the paths of deflection of adjacent gripping elements; to soform the bottle gripping elements that tangential deflection forcesacting thereon will be transmitted with a substantial mechanicaladvantage to the zones of breakage of said elements; to provide such acap Which presents no rough or sharp edges which might injure the handsof bottling plant workers and others, and in which the said grippingelements are disposed below the level of the top of the cap so thatcrates of bottles may be stacked one on the other in usual manner witheach crate supported on the capsv of the bottles in the cratetherebeneath, without damage to any of the caps; and to provide suchcaps which will require only slight medications in existing types ofcapping machines to adaptv same for efcient use therewith.

In this application I have shown and described only the preferredembodiment of my invention, simply by Way of illustration of thepractice thereof, as by law required. However, I recognize that myinvention is capable of other and different embodiments and that theseveral details thereof may be modied in various Ways, all Withoutdeparting from my said invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddescription herein are to be considered as merely illustrative and notas exclusive.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l represents a perspective View on an enlarged scale showing theupper portion of a usual carbonated beverage bottle having one ofClaims. (Cl. 21542) 2 the caps of my invention operatively appliedthereto;

Figure 2, a top plan View of one of the bottle caps of my invention,also on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3, an axial section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking in thedirection of the arrows, and showing the cap as it appears when appliedto a bottle, the upper portion of the bottle also being shown in axialsection; and,

Figure 4, a section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the referencecharacter B therein designates a usual bottle (of which only the upperportion is shown) such as is customarily employed to contain carbonatedand other beverages. Disposed around the neck of said bottle adjacentits upper end is the usual retainer beading or flange or lip b, whichfunctions as a projection around and under which the gripping portionsor elements of a bottle cap may engage to maintain the cap in operativesealing relation over the opening or mouth of the bottle.

The bottle cap of my invention is preferably formed by usual molding orcasting operations from a suitable plastic material havingcharacteristics which permit it to be resiliently bent a substantialamount Without breaking or assuming a permanent set, but which isfrangible when subjected to excessive bending or flexing. In thepreferred embodiment, the cap is formed from polystyrene, though suchmaterials as Celluloid, cellulose acetate, synthetic resins and the likemight also be employed.

Such a cap comprises a flat disc top l adapted yto extend across andcover the bottle mouth or opening, and may also advantageously includean integral depending annular skirt 2 adapted to extend axially overpart of the bottle neck adjacent the mouth and protect same againstcontamination, While also strengthening the cap structure.

In accordance with usual practice, the cap may employ a sealing disc orgasket 3 of yielding material positioned concentrically therein beneaththe disc top l to extend across the top or end of the bottle neck andprovide a fluid tight and pressure tight seal for the mouth of thebottle, all in accordance With usual practice.

Formed integrally with the cap, and in particular with the dependingskirt 2 thereof where such a skirt is employed, are at least severalrelatively circumferentially spaced axially disposed ns or bottlegripping elements, each designated 4. These elements or ns projectradially from the cap and preferably are disposed entirely below thelevel of the upper surface of the disc top I so that crates of bottlesequipped with these caps may be stacked as heretofore, with each but thelowermost crate resting on the caps of the bottles within the cratetherebeneath, without damaging any of said caps.

The lower ends of these fins fi project axially beneath the disc top land have bottle gripping portions projecting radially inwardly therefromrespectively at a common level spaced below said top. In the embodimentillustrated, said lower ends or gripping portions 5 project beneath andradially inwardly from the lower edge of the depending skirt 2, as willbe readily apparent in each of Figures 1, 3 and 4.

The radial dimensions or thicknesses of the respective fins 4 aresubstantial, being chosen in accordance with the character of the capmaterial to provide a substantial degree of resilient resistance toradial deilection, but to withstand without breaking such deflection asis required to permit the` gripping portions 5 to pass over the retainerbeading and engage therebeneath as the cap is pressed onto a bottle. Itis a iurther requirement of these fins il that their resilient radialgripping action beneath the beading b, after the cap is applied to thebottle, be at least suiicient to maintain the cap firmly in sealingrelation on the bottle against the internal pressure normally exerted bythe carbonated bottle contents.

The depending skirt 2, as shown in the illustrated embodiment,cooperates with the nns 4- by tieing same together adjacent their lowerextremities and thus reinforcing the radial grip of the portions 5 onthe bottle. Also such a skirt permits the axial zone or line of juncture6 between the respective fins l and the cap to be of substantial axialextent and thus effectively maintains the several fins 4 againstinadvertent axial misalignment during the capping process.

Each of the fins 4 is formed in such a manner that an excessivetangential force exerted thereon will cause it to be bent or deflectedabout its juncture with the cap and eventually to break along oradjacent to said junction or zone of attachment s. In order toaccomplish this it is necessary only that the tangential dimension orthickness of the n be substantially reduced or diminished along oradjacent said junction or line of attachment 5, though in the preferredembodiment each of the ns i is formed throughout its entire extent of auniform tangential r thickness which is substantially diminishedrelative to its radial dimension or thickness.

The tangential dimensions oi the iins 4 may of course vary in accordancewith the strength and resiliency of the particular material used infabricating the caps, it being required only that these dimensions besuch as will render the respective fins irangible when they are bent ordeiiected excessively in tangential directions.

In the use of these bottle caps, same may be applied to conventionalbottles by pressing them axially onto the necks oisaid bottles inconventional manner. If desired, existing types of bottling machines maybe easily adapted for this purpose, it being required primarily thatsuch machines be modied and Simplified to the extent necessary to causethem to omit the crimping function which is required in connection withusual metal crown caps.

Where it is desired to remove such a cap from its bottle, this may bereadily accomplished without the aid of an opener or special tool, byapplying sufficient tangential pressure against one or more relativelyadjacent fins to break same away from the cap. Such pressure may beapplied in any suitable manner, as by finger pressure where thetangential strength of the ns will permit this, or by pressure againstany suitable solid object.

It will be apparent that such a tangential force applied to any of thefins 4 will deect same about an axis generally defined by its axial lineof juncture 5 with the skirt 2, and in moving about this axis thegripping portion 5 of the nn will swing away from the bottle neck towarda position beneath the skirt 2 without being obstructed in such movementby any portion of the bottle or cap. In this connection it is pointedout that in the preferred embodiment the several fins are uniformlycircumferentially spaced around the cap at intervals in excess of themaximum radial dimensions of the respective fins. Thus each iin may beswung or deilected tangentially through an arc of approximately ninetydegrees, (if this should be necessary to break it away from the cap) andduring the course of such movement the gripping portion 5 will be movedout of effective gripping engagement with the retainer beading b of thebottle even though the iin should fail to break away completely from thecap.

Due +o the substantial iai dimensions of the speci-ive li, tangentiapressure against the dially ou portions of each of t ese will betransmitted with a considerable mechanical advantage to its junmure twith the cap, to ia cilitate breaking away of the said fins with aminimum of pressure.

After sufficient number of relativeiy adjacent fins 4 are removed fromone side oi the cap. as aorenientioned, the cap may be removed from thebottle by an upward pull on said side. In the illustrated embodiment ofthe invention wherein uniformly spaced ns are employed, it has beenfound necessary to break away only ci" these in order to permit removalor the cap, though where a greater number of fins are employed it willaccordingly prove necessary to break away a greater number thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A molded bottle cap of frangiole but slightly resiiient plasticmaterial comprising a :dat disc top adapted to extend across the openingin a bottle neck, an annular depending skirt integral therewith, and aplurality of relatively circumierentially spaced axially extending iinsintegral with and projecting radially from said skirt, the lower ends ofsaid ns projecting beneath and radially inwardly from the lower edge ofsaid skirt, said ns being oi sufficient radial thickness that theirlower ends may be resiliently radially expended without breakingsufficiently to pass over the usual retainer beading of a bottle neckduring application of the cap to a bottle and will thereafter contractbeneath said beading' to maintain the cap in operative sealing relationon the bottle, and of such relatively smaller tangential thicknessadjacent their juncture with said skirt as to be readily frangible inthe Zone of said juncture when subjected to excessive tangentialdeflection.

2. A bottle cap as defined in. claim l, including a sealing discdisposed concentrieally within said depending skirt egeinst the lowersurface of Said tcp disc.

3. A bottle cap of ir-angible slightly resilient material comprising anannular skirt adapted to extend around the neck of a bottle, a sealingdisc carried within said skirt to extend across the bottle mouth, and aplurality cf relatively circumierentially spaced fins integral with andprojectn ing radially from said skirt, the lower ends of said nsprojecting beneath and radially inwardly from the lower edge or" saidskirt, said nns being of suliicient radial dimensions to be radiallydeflectible without breaking and to provide a strong resilient radialgrip around the bottle neck, and o such relatively diminished tangentialthickness in a zone adjacent their juncture with said skirt as to bereadily rangible when subjected te excessive tangenti-al deflection,

4. A bottle cap of frangible slightly resilient material embodying adisc top, and a plurality oi relatively circumferentially spaced finseach integral with said cap along an axial line of june ture andprojecting radially from said line of juncture, said lns dependingaxially from said cap and having bottle gripping portions projectingradially inwardly therefrom respectively at a common level spaced belowsaid top, said nns respectively being oi sufficient radial thickness tobe radially deiiectible without breaking and to provide a strongradially resilient grip around a bottle neck, and of such relativelysmaller tangential thickness as to be frangible when subjected to notmore than ninety degrees of tangential deflection.

5. A molded bottle cap of frangible slightly resilient materialembodying a disc tcp adapted to extend across the mouth of a bottle,bottle gripping means on one side of said cap to engage beneath theretainer beading of the bottle neck, and at least one radiallyprojecting n integral with said cap along an axial line of juncture onthe side opposite said bottle gripping means, said fin depending axiallyfrom said cap and having a bottle gripping portion projecting radiallyinwardly therefrom at a location spaced below said tcp, said iin beingof sufficient radial thickness to be stiiily radially deflectiblewithout breaking and to resiliently radially press said gripping portionagainst said bottle neck, and of such relatively smaller tangentialthickness as to be readily frangible when subjected to excessivetangential deflection.

HERBERT H. SCHWEIZER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 536,388 Northall Mar. 26, 18951,074,907 Spengler Oct. '7, 1913 1,338,224 Hunt Apr. 27, 1920 1,421,877Weissheier July 4, 1922

